Solar panels have become a popular resource for green energy harvesting. Depending on the intended application for the resulting energy, the “solar panel” may comprise one or more small solar cells in a very small configuration, for example inches in width and height, or may comprise larger and/or many solar cells configured into a single panel or multiple panel system having a much larger footprint, for example, feet or yards in width and height.
Larger panels may advantageously be placed, for example, on the roof tops of buildings to avoid reduction in usable ground space and detraction from the aesthetic appearance of the area surrounding the building. More particularly, placement on a roof top may provide increased access to uninterrupted light source for gathering solar energy. These and other like considerations make roof-top or elevated placement of solar panels desirable.
Roof-top mounting of solar panels, however, while it resolves the foregoing issues, may create additional problems that must then be addressed. Such problems may include instability of the panel due to exposure to high winds. Due to strong winds and possible natural disaster situations, solar panel support systems and mounting configurations may experience high wind loads, mainly including wind uplift and wind drag. Solar panels are typically not aerodynamically shaped, i.e., they are generally relatively flat rectangular panels comprised of a plurality of solar cells configured in a grid-like pattern. The panels are generally placed at an angle in order to maximize direct sun exposure throughout the day. For example, they are usually placed at an angle of up to about 30° in relation to the surface on which they are mounted, assuming the surface to be horizontal, although greater angles may be used. Of course, the surface may itself represent an incline. Positioned in this manner, the shape, thickness, and angle of the panels create wind lift, wind drag, wind caused moment, wind noise, and increased wind resistance. Over time, or even instantaneously in extreme conditions, wind causes the panels to become unstable, and they may eventually pull loose of the surface to which they are mounted, thereby presenting a public safety issue, to people and property in the vicinity of the structure to which they are mounted.
Solar panel support system manufacturers generally use a ballasted system in order to secure the panels, sometimes referred to as arrays, on the roof surface so that the system will be stabilized by its own weight. Several studies have been conducted to find a suitable replacement for the traditional ballast system used with solar panels for counteracting aerodynamic forces. However, this work has not identified an alternative system to replace traditional ballast systems, which are not only bulky but also take considerable space and add a large amount of weight on the rooftop. Further, ballast systems prove to be a considerable additional expense, both in manufacture and installation, beyond the array expense which may already be costly. As such, conventional ballasting systems may represent several drawbacks. In contrast, wind deflectors are versatile and address the foregoing drawbacks, and as such hold promise as a replacement for more traditional ballast systems.
Attempts have been made to resolve the foregoing drawbacks to the use of roof top and other mounted solar panels. One of the more popular attempts proposes guarding the solar panel from wind by placing an obstruction having a specific profile hinged with the ballast system. U.S. Pat. No. 7,956,281 provides a flexible wind deflector for solar panel array perimeter assembly. U.S. Pub. App. 2009/0320906 provides a photovoltaic module with a removable wind deflector. While such attempts to resolve the drawbacks of roof-top mounted solar panels have been made, such mounting systems continue to suffer drawbacks that may result in safety issues, as well as power loss.
Therefore, there remains a need for a solar panel wind deflector that is not only versatile, but is uniquely conceptualized and designed to achieve aerodynamic force reduction, preferably of at least 50%, and that is also easy to assemble and install. Further, a need exists for a wind deflector for new or existing solar panel assemblies or systems suitable to replace currently employed ballast systems, making the use of the panels more economical. These and other advantages of the invention disclosed herein will become apparent upon reading and understanding the disclosure.